作者：Changyuan Song, Liang Hao, Boyi Zhang, Zhiyue Dong, Qingquan Tang, Jiakang Min, Qiang Zhao, Ran Niu,
关键字：solar vapor generation, waste polypropylene
论文来源：期刊
发表时间：2019年

Changyuan Song, Liang Hao, Boyi Zhang, Zhiyue Dong, Qingquan Tang, Jiakang Min, Qiang Zhao, Ran Niu, Jiang Gong*, Tao Tang*. 

High-performance solar vapor generation of Ni/carbon nanomaterials by controlled carbonization of waste polypropylene. Science China Materials (Accept) (IF2019 = 5.636)

Solar vapor generation is emerging as a promising technology using solar energy for various applications including desalination and freshwater production. However, from the viewpoints of industrial and academic research, it remains challenging to prepare low-cost and high-efficiency photothermal materials. In this work, we report the controlled carbonization of polypropylene (PP) using NiO and poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) as combined catalysts to prepare Ni/carbon nanomaterial (Ni/CNM). The morphology and textural property of Ni/CNM are modulated by adding a trace amount of PIL. Ni/CNM is consisted of cup-stacked carbon nanotube (CS-CNT) and pear-shaped metallic Ni nanoparticle. Due to the synergistic effect of Ni and CS-CNT in solar absorption, Ni/CNM possesses an excellent property of photothermal conversion. Meanwhile, Ni/CNM with a high specific surface area and rich micro-/meso-/macropores constructs a 3D porous network for efficient water supply and vapor channels. Thanks to high solar absorption, fast water transport, and low thermal conductivity, Ni/CNM exhibits a high water evaporation rate of 1.67 kg/m2/h, a solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency of 94.9%, and an excellent stability. It also works well when converting dye-containing water, seawater, and oil/water emulsion into healthy drinkable water. The metallic ion removal efficiency of seawater is 99.99%, and the dye removal efficiency is >99.9%. More importantly, it prevails over the-state-of-art carbon-based photothermal materials in solar energy-driven vapor generation. This work not only proposes a new sustainable approach to convert waste polymers into advanced metal/carbon hybrids, but also contributes to the fields of solar energy utilization and seawater desalination.